Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Noncounty users

Some tips from George on how to verify which county a patron lives in:

Addresses in cities like Queen Creek, which can either be in Maricopa or Pinal counties, should be verified through either usps.com or mapquest. Once verified, please put a note in the customer's account to note that it has been verified.

To verify county through usps.com, go to "Find a ZIP code," enter the address, then on the result page click Mailing Industry Information to look up the county. Mapquest will show a map with the county borders.

Exceptions: If the patron works, goes to school, or otherwise does official business in Chandler, staff should assign them a NONCOUNTY (or PROB-NCNTY) profile. (They need to show a paystub, paperwork from their school, etc. as proof.) We should give them the correct profile (NONCOUNTY or PROB-NCNTY), allow the bill to accrue, then FORGIVE the privilege fee, with a comment on the account as to why the fee is waived. Next year, when the patron has to renew, they should prove again that they qualify for the waiver, or pay the automatically assessed fee.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Call center info

The main library number, 480-782-2800, is directed to the call center. The call center is staffed during Downtown's normal hours.

Our busiest day of the week is Monday and the number of calls declines each day to our slowest day, which is Sunday. Our busiest time of day is between 9AM and 5PM.

Here are the top 4 types of calls:
Renewals (17.60% of all calls)
Holds (17.35%)
Reference (15.28%)
Account info (10.21%)

We've worked hard to clarify when to transfer a call and to whom. Here are some calls we've received that have been and will be transferred:
- A parent is trying to locate a child
- A customer thinks they left their library card/phone/flash drive/keys at the library
- A customer has questions/wants to reserve a meeting room
- A customer has a very involved reference question that's time sensitive
- A customer wants to speak to a manager

See the phone list for direct extentions to branches/departments. They're listed in the gray boxes or at the top of department listings. Requests to speak to a manager are transfered to the manager's direct line.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Where old computers go

From Deidre's email 10/22/10, and CityScope Jan 2012:

You might be getting questions from customers about where our old computers go (I have been!). According to Dan and Janet at Central Supply, the old computers are offered to the schools, then to local nonprofits and then whatever's left goes to auction. Office equipment, furniture, and vehicles are also auctioned.

Normally, auctions are held the first Saturday of the month. You can see the auction schedule on http://sierraauction.com/ Items can be viewed at Sierra Auctions, 3570 NW Grand Ave, Phoenix, one day prior to the sale. For more info, call Central Supply at 480-782-2417.



And speaking of recycling old computers:

If a patron wants to know where they can donate/recycle their own computer, refer them to
http://www.azstrut.org/

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Computer use and library cards

From Sue's email 5/20/10 and updates 11/3/10, 12/30/10; 2/23/11 per Peter, 3/2/11 per George:

Guest passes

Guest passes are $2. Ring it up as Membership. A guest pass can be issued to anyone for $2 who requests one, including:
1) those who don't want to get a library card, or don't have proper ID to get a card,
2) those with blocked/barred cards who don't want to bring their account into good standing,
3) non-county residents who don't want to pay the $40 annual fee (although this may be more cost-effective),
4) those who forgot their cards and have no ID for us to look them up,
5) those who forgot their cards, have ID, but are past their 2 lookups (although buying a replacement card may be more cost-effective).

Guest passes are good for one day at one branch. (Downtown may send guests to other branches if they're unable to extend their time, and staff will initial and date the pass; the next branch will issue a new guest pass at no charge.) We must charge for an all-day guest pass even if the user only wants to use a computer for 10 minutes.

Special circumstances may call for waiving the guest pass fee, but these cases should be rare and should be shared with supervisors so that all staff handle these cases consistently. (The Remuda and Hazel House girls are another exception at Sunset.)

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Computer cards: We can no longer issue computer cards to people who don't have current address; everyone must have ID and proof of current address to get a card. (Exceptions may be made for the homeless or others without verifiable address.)

Out-of-county residents must pay $40 to get a full library card. They may also get a computer card by request if they do not wish to check out, but this still costs $40 and requires ID.

$40 out-of-county cards can be issued to anyone living outside Maricopa County, whether in Pinal county or Dublin, Ireland.
Computer cards can be requested by patrons who do not want checkout privileges or want to prevent their child from checking out.

We will be strictly adhering to the 2 lookups when people don't have their library card. Their record needs to be noted when we do look them up and we need to remind patrons that they only have 2 chances, otherwise they can buy a new card or pay $2 for a guest pass. You can suggest that they put their card number in their phone if necessary, write it on a piece of paper and keep it on them but if they have 2 lookups and they don't have their card, they can't get on the computer.

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Computer use and fines: Cards with $25 or more in fines, whether for lost materials (which get sent to collections) or overdues, will not be able to use the computers. The fines must be paid below $25. These cards may or may not be in BARRED status, so check the fines if someone can't get on the computer.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Collection Management - floating, weeding, suggestions

Polaris updates 7/24/14 and 7/31/14:

We will no longer check items out to the user accounts LOST, MISSING or DISCARD.



For Lost items, highlight the item in the Patron Status-Items Out screen. Then click on the "Declare Lost" icon (or CTRL+L). You will get a pop-up that itemizes the replacement and processing fees. Click OK and it will bill the patron for this amount.

Move TO another location:
Staff may send extra copies to another location using the following procedure:
· Check out item to user ID REFLOAT. DO NOT CHANGE HOME LOCATION TO REFLOAT.
· Put items in the appropriate courier bin.
· Check-in/discharge items at receiving library.
**Sending more than 2 bins Downtown? Call Peter or circ to let them know.

REMOVE an item from the collection due to condition or during weeding:
Any staff member may withdraw a damaged item, even if not originally from your library:
  • Check in all the items. This brings up the items in the check in window.
  • Highlight all the items to be withdrawn.
  • Click the Manage Item icon, Circ Status, and Withdraw. Save.
  • Mark through the barcode with a Sharpie and direct them to FOL.
  • Do not worry if it is the last copy of the item. Marybeth gets a report of last-copy discards and will decide whether to reorder. 
**Sending more than 2 bins Downtown? Call Peter or circ to let them know.

REMOVE a Pop Pick copy from the collection:
(We only retain Pop Picks for 3 months.)
  • Check in all the items. This brings up the items in the check in window.
  • Highlight all the items to be withdrawn.
  • Click the Manage Item icon, Circ Status, and Withdraw. Save.
  • Mark through the barcode with a Sharpie and direct them to Margaret in Processing (DT).

MARK ITEM MISSING when it can't be found on the shelf:
  • Copy the barcode number and check it in. If the item is on the holds list, say NO to "route to fill request" and say YES to "reinstate hold for user."
  • Click to highlight the item in the list of check-ins. Use the Manage Item icon to change the circ status to "Search in Progress." 
  • Save.
MARK ITEM LOST when a patron reports it lost or DAMAGED when it's returned damaged beyond repair:
  • In the Patron Status display, use the Items Out view.
  • Click the item to be marked lost or damaged, then click the Declared Lost button.
  • In the billing window, under both the Replacement and Processing columns, drop down the arrow for Actions and select Charge. Leave the Overdue column at “Leave as is” if the amount is zero. (If the amount is greater than zero, use the Actions drop-down to select Waive.) Click OK.

SUGGEST an item be purchased for the collection:Customers and staff can request a purchase, but no longer than 3 months prior to the publication date (including bestsellers and media items).***
From Marybeth's email 7/29/14: Hopefully you have discovered the new, handy-dandy suggest a purchase form that is in the catalog for customers to use. Once submitted, this form comes directly to me.  Unfortunately, staff is unable to view this request queue like we were able to in Workflows but we are working with the tools that Polaris provides in the patron record that are easily accessible to customers to learn about the status of their requests (and staff can see it too!  Bonus!)

If I am able to order the suggested item, a hold will be placed on the customers account and they will be notified when it is available for pick up. (you can see the list of requests/holds in the patron status).  We will NOT send a message if we are able to order it - simply look to see if they have it on hold.

If I am unable to order it because it is out of print, not available through our contracted vendors, outside of our collection criteria, beyond our purchasing cycle etc., I will leave a a patron message.  When the customer logs into his/her account they will be alerted that they have a message and have the option to delete it once they have read it.  Staff can see this message on the patron status screen and see if the patron has read the message or not.  The message will go away after 14 days.

Requesting Ebooks: One of the great things about the 3m Cloud Library is how to request a title. Directly from the app, click on Search (the magnifying glass).  Under "advanced search" make sure "Include books not in library" is checked.  If you search for a title that is not in our collection you will have the option to "add to wish list" (ask library to purchase the book).  This title will show up on a report that I look at daily.  If  I choose to purchase it, a hold will automatically be placed for you! We use the same collection criteria to evaluate ebook requests. We will not be purchasing ebook bundles - single titles only - so patrons should suggest the individual titles. (While I welcome suggestions through the suggest a purchase form via the Polaris catalog or a direct email from staff, I am unable to place customer holds for ebooks.)

***If the publication is more than 3 months out, advise the patron to place a request closer to the pub date.

What doesn't float
Popular Picks
magazines
board books
Downtown "storage" books (Hamilton also still has a "storage" collection)
reference materials